How long will an SB800 last?

My SB 800 has seen close to 30,000 cycles how long are these rated for any ideas? Thanks

A SB-800 may last two weeks to several years, depending on how you use the speedlight. If, like the instruction manual indicates, you shoot and allow the flash-tube time to cool off after steady use, the SB-800 will continue to work. But if you, with a room temperature of 80 degrees F, decide you really, really need 700 'pops' in 15 minutes time, you may 'fry' the SB-800 and it will be in need of a service trip to either Nikon or a good repair shop.

It is rated at 30,001 cycles! :)

 

I don't think any one can give you a number but if you look around, there are some flashes that are 30 years old and they

are still kicking. Basically it must be how good care you take of them.

 

Now I'll ask something, I'm not trying to highjack your thread but it might concern you too. Can the bulb itself in the flash

can be changed?

 

Rene'

"Can the bulb itself in the flash can be changed? "

 

Yes.

If it's anything like the SB600, it will last until the first time you lightly drop it.

30K cycles seems to be quite a few for the flash. I wonder how you know it has been 30K cycles. Did you estimate

based on the number of cycles on your DSLR?

 

But there is a different between 30K cycles of full power flash and 30K cycles of fill flash, and as Gerald mentioned,

over-heating can really shorten the life of a flash. That is why the new SB-900 even has a thermometer built in and

can shut off the flash if it gets too hot.

 

It is hard to say how much longer your flash will last. But if you really depend on it, for example, if you are a wedding

photographer, I would add another backup flash just in case this one finally fails at the wrong time.

 

Yes, you can get the flash "bulb" itself replaced, but that will cost like 50% of the price of a new flash.

In the landfill, it will last near to eternity, I think.

 

So enjoy it while it lasts. Its main enemy is gravity and hitting the floor, though. Not the number of flashes, done responsibly

with cooling off if needed ...

A dropped flash can be repaired.

30k-45k cycles is probably pretty close. i've repaired 3 out of my 4 SB-800 flashes within 1-2 years of getting them. for reference, they go through about 40 weddings a year, numerous party/event shoots, some sports, and occasionally work their way in for on location portraits. to sum it up, they get used; a lot. repairs at Authorized Photo Service in IL have run on average $150 a trip; and that's to replace blow bulb or to replace the mainboard.

<p>

how do you extend the life of your flash? 2 simple things:

<br>1) don't drop/bang it into things.

<br>2) don't overheat it

<p>

easier said than done, i know. i've also added a couple of SB-900 flash units to my equipment list and one of its features is that it shuts itself off when the internal thermometer says it's too hot. neat feature that can definitely be useful for extending the life of the flash. not so useful when you need to capture the action of a bouquet toss at a wedding reception and it stops working just as the bride tosses the thing. :P

<p>

read more on my thoughts of the SB-900 on my blog: <a href="http://danielgin.blogspot.com">http://danielgin.blogspot.com</a>

Dan,

 

Great blog on SB-900.

 

Thanks.

 

You did not mention that the automatic range is the same for SB-900 and SB-800. To really use the narrower SB-

900 at the extended range, manual flash mode would be needed, or does it work longer than the max range of 66

feet (20 meters) ?

 

Also, the max auto flash range depends more on the in-camera iTTL/CLS system and perhaps lens max aperture

available ?, so one cannot blame the SB-900 for failure to provide extended automated rage, (at least in the

specifocations - what is in real use ?).

 

Tell us more about your experience in this aspect?, if possible.

I estimate the number of cycles by the number shots on my camera body give or take a few thousand. I don't over heat the flash maybe the most action is during the cake cutting. I have shot 30 weddings with this unit I sold my last one before it ran out just wonder how much longer this one will go.

Tchnically Xenon tubes have very specific range life expectation ratings, (not a single number but range). The life

of a tube is sometimes rated at "nominal" use - that is nominal energy and optimal voltage applied to flash. Life

extends greatly when lower energy is applied, and shortens when more than nominal enegry is applied, when

temperature of the tube is not an issue.

 

In the small hot shoe mount flashes, I believe the max energy that could be applied is far less than the nominal tube

rating, or whetever that is for the Nikon tube?. The flash also operates frequently at less then full power in the iTTL

mode, so the number of flashes it can provide should be very high.

 

More of danger is the overheating of the tube, that could drastically reduce the life in a short time.

 

Improvement in controlling the lamp temperature in the SB-900 is helping. Though the SB-900 or SB-800 are not

heavy duty flashes, when comparing to other reputable brands.

 

I wish Nikon could deliver truly heavy duty flash, with the iTTL/CLS features built in. 3rd party vendors seems to

have hard time to cath up the CLS/iTTL compatibility game, so is high time for Nikon to deliver real "PRO" grade

heavy duty flash.

I have a cheapo Sears brand auto thyristor flash that's 30 years old. It's been swimming in the Guadalupe River and was the only bit of gear to survive that ordeal. Ten years ago I tried it with lithium AA batteries on a hot summer day in Florida. After awhile it popped like a firecracker and emitted a puff of smoke. I figured it was dead and put it away. A few years later I dug it out and tried it again - damned thing still works and the guide number output is still very close to accurate, according to my flash meter.

 

My Nikon SB-10 auto thyristor flash is probably 20 years old, used when I bought it. Other than an occasionally cranky on/off switch, it still works perfectly.

 

I'm betting my SB-800 will still be working years from now.

I dropped one of my SB600's from a height of about 5' onto a ceramic tile floor.

The bottom of the lens suffered a small amount of damage that isn't very obvious.

The flash continues to work as well as it did before I screwed up.

Lex, I would never mount a cheapo flash on a Nikon SLR. The high voltage is likely to fry the cameras electronics. I've used a Vivitar 285 with my FM2 for weddings and later I bought an SB-28. I bought a SB-600 and now have an SB-800 for use with my D300. Anyone looking for a good cheap SB-600 contact me off list.

Cheap and high voltage are separate issues. I haven't seen an electronic flash unit with dangerously mismatched voltage since the Braun unit I used in the late 1960s, and that puppy wasn't cheap. I've got half a dozen auto thyristor and manual flash units from Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Vivitar and others, none of 'em less than 20 years old, all of 'em with standard voltage. All were "cheap" because I paid only $5-$10 for 'em in pawn shops.